


Love Me Like It’s Grom Night

by screamingatstars



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Don’t worry, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Viney, Other, The Grom (The Owl House), remember how Dana posted about Ed and Em getting stood up at Grom?, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26464738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingatstars/pseuds/screamingatstars
Summary: Viney never meant to hurt Emira. All they wanted was to go to Grom with her and have a fun night. But sometimes things don’t go as planned, especially when parents get involved.
Relationships: Edric Blight/Jerbo, Emira Blight/Viney
Comments: 4
Kudos: 171





	Love Me Like It’s Grom Night

**Author's Note:**

> This might be my favorite fic I’ve made, purely because of the sheer amount of fun it was to write. I meant for this to be 1.5k at the most, and now it’s the longest single-chapter fic I’ve ever written. Whoops :)

  
  


Viney slowly eased their window open, waiting to make sure the slight creaking noise hadn’t woken their parents before hoisting themself out. They landed softly on the ground below, grateful as usual for the cushioning spell they had learned while in the Detention track. Little things like that made sneaking out to meet their girlfriend in the middle of the night much easier.

It wasn’t an easy trek to their secret meeting spot, but it was more than worth the fifteen minutes of walking. Secluded clearings in the forest weren’t easy to come by, and this one was all theirs, complete with plenty of spells to protect it from being found. No better place to have a private conversation.

When they arrived at the clearing, stepping carefully through the layers of illusions, Emira was already waiting for them. Sitting on a dead tree stump like it was a throne, lips quirked into a grin, the sight of her made Viney’s heart skip a beat. The look in her eyes was full of mischief, like she was about to suggest they pull some elaborate prank or sneak into someplace they weren’t meant to be. Then again, they were kind of doing that already.

“Hey there, handsome,” Emira said with a wink. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Viney laughed, offering a dramatic bow. “Indeed, Miss Blight. Who would’ve ever imagined I’d find you out in the middle of the forest at this hour?”

“I think we both know the answer to that.” Emira stood up, and her smile was enough to make Viney’s feet move without having to think. The next thing they knew, they were looking up into their girlfriend’s eyes, already leaning in. The kiss was brief, and they both were on the verge of laughter, but it still sent a tingle down Viney’s spine. Or maybe that was because of Emira’s hand, warm and strong on the small of their back, holding them close.

When they pulled apart, neither of them bothered to step away. Instead, Viney ended up curled against Emira’s side, seated on the tree stump, their hands linked together. 

“This is new,” Viney joked, resting their head on Emira’s shoulder. It was the opposite of new, and both of them knew it. “Didn’t take you for the affectionate type.”

“Oh, really? Been thinking about me much?” 

Viney squeezed her hand. “Actually, yeah. More than usual, I mean.”

“How come?” Emira asked. 

They hesitated. “Well, Grom’s coming up soon. Like, tomorrow soon.”

The beat of silence before the response was eternal. “That’s true.” Viney could hear the hint of uncertainty in Emira’s voice. “Were you wanting to go?”

“Were you?” They deflected, very glad they didn’t have to look her in the eyes right now. The two of them were never the best at this sort of thing, even after dating for almost a year.

“I’m definitely going, one way or another,” Emira said slowly. “Mittens has an obvious crush on that human girl, and there’s no way I’m missing whatever happens with that. Prime blackmail material right there. But…” she trailed off, and when she spoke again, her voice was quieter than usual. “It would be nice to have a date for once.” The forest was dead silent. “What about you?” 

Viney shrugged the best they could, going for nonchalance that they knew didn’t land. “Dancing is fun. Death matches are fun. My girlfriend is the best company. It would probably be nice, if she went with me.”

“Is that an ask?”

“If you want it to be,” they breathed. “I know you haven’t had the best Grom experiences.” From what Viney had been told, Emira had been rejected by three different people, forced by her parents to take a creep she hated as her date, and stood up by said creep, all in her first year attending Grom. Even Viney didn’t know all the details of what went down her second year.

Emira’s arm around their waist tightened. “...It wouldn’t be so bad, if it was you.”

Their heart leapt. “Really?” Viney said, pulling back and looking up at her. “Does that mean you’ll-“

“Yes,” Emira said, holding their gaze. There was fear in her eyes, plain to see, but it was far overpowered by happiness and resolve. “I trust you.”

Viney smiled, bringing their joined hands to their lips. “It’s a date, then.”

Hearing Em’s laugh was like flying through the sky: pure bliss. “If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you like me,” she said knowingly, and Viney kissed her cheek, warmth pooling in their chest.

“You’d be right.”

————-

As soon as Viney opened their eyes, they knew they were in trouble. The sun was starting to rise, streaking the sky with orange and pink, but most of it was obscured by the trees. The trees that Viney and Emira were laying under, arms wrapped around each other and bodies pressed close.

They had fallen asleep in the forest. And if the sun was coming up, then…

“Em,” Viney said urgently, sitting up and grabbing Emira’s arm. “Em, wake up. This is bad.”

“Hmm?” She didn’t stir much, barely even opening her eyes. Viney jostled her shoulder, trying not to freak out and failing.

“Seriously, you have to wake up. It’s morning,” they said.

“What?” That seemed to get Emira’s attention, and she finally sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “Oh. Guess we lost track of time, huh?”

Viney whipped out their scroll, groaning when they saw both the time and the number of missed calls from their parents. “School starts in twenty minutes. We gotta go.” 

“Aw, okay,” Emira said, and Viney could tell she was disappointed. “You sure you don’t want to skip?”

“It’s Grom night tonight, remember? If we don’t show up to class, they won’t let us go.”

“Drat. Next time, then.”

“Maybe,” Viney relented, smiling despite themself. “But right now, we both have to hurry. My parents are freaking out, and your brother probably is, too.”

Emira paled, grabbing her scroll out of her pocket and grimacing when she turned it on. “Yep, that’s Ed, all right. We probably should go.”

“See you in class?”

Emira nodded, pulling them into a quick hug. “See you then, cutie,” she said, and Viney would never understand how she could flick a switch and sound that flirty right after waking up. Not that they were complaining. “Good luck with the parents.”

After a moment longer, Viney let go first and set off for home, breaking into a run once they were out of the clearing. A fifteen minute trip would have to become ten, at most, if they wanted to be on time.

——-

Needless to say, their parents were furious. While they couldn’t chew Viney out yet- they still needed to get to school, after all- it was sure to happen that afternoon. Fantastic.

After barely making it to their first class, Viney passed the rest of the day in a blur of daydreaming and talking to Emira and worrying about how much their parents were going to kill them. (Mostly the first two.) The hallway decorations and elaborate gromposals were plenty of distraction, and the air was buzzing with anticipation for that evening. Emira’s younger sister Amity was even chosen as Grom queen, which was surprising, considering both of the Blight twins had more experience with powerful magic, but maybe having a younger student face off against Grom was part of the fun. Either way, Viney was glad they didn’t have to worry about Emira battling it, especially since she seemed thrilled at the idea of getting to ‘train’ her sister. 

If they knew their girlfriend, that probably meant she was going to take the opportunity to mess with Amity as much as possible. They almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

As the day ended, Emira and Viney met up outside, stepping around the side of the building to have some semblance of privacy. In reality, there were probably at least five people trying to watch what they were doing like creeps, but that came with dating a Blight. Edric and Jerbo dealt with it, and so did they.

“You know, I should be getting home,” Viney said, even as they let Emira pull them further along. “My parents will be losing their minds.”

“But do you care?” Em asked, glancing back and giggling.

Viney smiled. “Not currently, no.”

“That’s what I thought.” 

They stopped close to the back of the school, the sounds of the Grudgby team practicing audible in the background. It was well enough away that most, if not all, prying eyes would be unable to see them.

“I don’t think you’re ready for tonight,” Emira said with a smirk, leaning casually against the bricks, arms crossed. “I’ve got an amazing dress picked out, not to mention I happen to be an _awesome_ dancer.”

“So do I,” Viney countered, joining her. “ And I know my way around a dance floor, too.”

Emira raised an eyebrow at them, which was _completely unfair_ to Viney’s heart. Seriously, that look combined with that pose might as well have been a deadly curse. “You’ve never danced with me, though, have you?” She asked, moving ever so slightly closer to them.

They could feel the blood rushing to their cheeks. “No, I haven’t,” they admitted, holding their ground. The height difference between them and their girlfriend was suddenly very noticeable. “But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“Like I said.” Emira’s face was inches away from their own, her breath warm on their skin as she lowered her voice to a silky smooth tone. “Not ready.” 

Viney hastily took a step back, hands coming up to cover their blushing face as their mind raced, consumed with _Emira Emira Emira._ They hadn’t been prepared for this sort of flirting right this second, and now they were being caught way off guard. A quick glance up at their girlfriend revealed a triumphant glint in her eyes: she knew exactly what she was doing to them.

“Em,” they managed, still flustered, “You could’ve just kissed me if you really wanted.”

“I could’ve,” Emira agreed, moving to stand directly in front of them. “And now I will.” Before Viney could figure out what she was planning, their back was against the wall, bracketed on either side by Emira’s arms. 

The stone was cold, but Viney was very much not, their heart pounding with anticipation and palms starting to sweat.

For one long moment, neither of them moved, staring into each other’s eyes in an unspoken challenge. The tension was palpable, the silence deafening, slowly becoming unbearable. It was Viney who moved first, throwing their arms around Emira’s neck and dragging her down for a searing kiss.

Both of them would be getting home late that day.

——-

Viney’s mother met them at the door, still wearing her heavy work cloak, arms folded and expression stern. Wordlessly, she pointed them inside, and Viney obeyed, ducking their head as they passed her. Even her presence was icy cold. Reality was hitting hard, dissolving the magic that came from being with Emira, settling like a rock in their stomach. Getting caught sneaking out at night was already bad enough, but not coming back home until morning? So much worse. This wasn’t going to be fun.

Their father was waiting at the kitchen table, his hair unkempt and wild but his hands clasped neatly in front of him.

“Have a seat,” he said, motioning for them to sit across from him. “The three of us are going to have a discussion about your behavior.”

Dreading what was about to happen, Viney sunk into the chair, hanging their head. They heard their mother shut the door and walk over, probably glaring at them from the other side of the table. Neither of their parents spoke at first, letting the atmosphere sink in. It was heavy, like a weight on their back, and so much worse than they had thought it would be.

Finally, they raised their head just enough to show their face. “I’m sorry,” they tried, knowing it wouldn’t be enough. 

“Viney, this is serious,” their father said. “‘Sorry’ isn’t going to cut it. We have a curfew in place for a reason.”

“I know,” they mumbled. “Because the Boiling Isles-“

“Because the Boiling Isles are dangerous at night,” their mother snapped, cutting them off. “Or did you conveniently forget that as soon as you wanted to get out and be rebellious? What were you even doing last night? You didn’t go to the Night Market, did you?”

“Of course not,” Viney said, tugging on the hem of their tunic. “I’m not stupid.”

Their father spoke calmly, soothingly. “We know that. You’re a very smart witchling, Viney. But you do have a tendency to get yourself into trouble sometimes. The Detention track incident especially comes to mind.”

“That wasn’t even my fault.”

“This isn’t about what happened with your track,” their mother said, shooting their father a look. “This is about you sneaking out and not coming home. Tell us: Where exactly did you go that made you stay away all night? And don’t think I won’t cast a truth spell if you try and lie.”

Viney closed their eyes. It was all over now. “I… I was with Emira. We have a- a place we meet, sometimes, to just talk. Nothing dangerous, and nothing stupid. We fell asleep without realizing.” Saying the words out loud felt like a betrayal. “We didn’t do anything, and we didn’t go anywhere. That’s all.”

Their father sighed, while their mother shook her head. Both of them wore similar expressions: thinly veiled disappointment.

“Honey, we’ve talked about this Emira girl before, haven’t we?” Their father said. “I know she means a lot to you, and I think it’s wonderful you’ve found someone you trust. But if she’s motivating you to disobey your parents, and to do these sorts of risky things, then maybe she’s not the kind of person you should be giving that trust to.”

“I think,” their mother added, oblivious of Viney’s steadily mounting horror, “that some time apart for you two would be best.”

“You can’t do that!” Viney exclaimed, standing up abruptly and slamming their hands onto the table. Everything was too loud and too quiet, too dark and too bright at the same time. “You can’t take her away from me!”

“You’re right,” their father said, holding his hands in a placating gesture that only served to heighten their anger. “We can’t force you to stop being with her, and so we’re not going to try. All we’re asking is for you to think about it carefully.”

“Fine, I will,” Viney said through gritted teeth. They’d think about it, all right. They'd think about how they had never resented their parents more than they did right then. “Happy?”

“Sit down, Viney,” their mother said firmly. “This discussion isn’t over.” She held up a finger, the tip glowing ever so slightly. A warning.

Reluctantly, they did as they were told, studiously not looking at either of their parents. Hot fury still coursed through their veins, tensing their muscles and quickening their breath.

“Now,” said their father, “regardless of what you choose to do about the Blight girl, the matter of your punishment for breaking our rules needs to be sorted out. We trusted you to listen to us, and you’ve broken that trust, so consequences need to be put into place to prevent incidents like this one from happening again. Do you understand?”

Viney nodded, lips pressed together into a thin line. Their father waited, but when they didn’t say anything, he continued on, a note of exhaustion in his voice. 

“Starting immediately, you are effectively grounded. No scroll or staff privileges until we decide you’ve learned your lesson, and no staying after school for any activities.” As he spoke, he drew a spell circle, summoning Viney’s scroll from their pocket and handing it to their mother. “No going to friend’s houses, not even for assignments. Your mother and I will be installing spells around the house to make sure you won’t be sneaking out anymore.”

“Like we should’ve done from the beginning.” Their mother sounded almost annoyed, though whether it was at Viney or their father, they didn’t know. And at that point, they didn’t care, either. “And just to be clear: ‘no after-school activities’ includes Grom. You can stay home tonight and think about whether or not breaking our rules was worth it.”

_That,_ they very much cared about. It was almost as if they were falling for a moment, speechless, as the implications crashed over them. No Grom. That would've been bad enough on its own, missing out on the single biggest school event of the year. But no scroll also meant no way to let Emira know they weren’t coming. No way to apologize for leaving her hanging. No way to tell her that this year’s Grom night would be just like every other she had ever had. Viney felt vaguely sick.

“That’s not fair,” they said numbly, still reeling. “That’s not fair. I can’t do that to Emira; she’s never had a good Grom, ever. You have to let me call her, at least!”

Their mother crossed her arms over her chest. “No, we don’t. These are the consequences for your poor decision. You have to figure out how to deal with them.”

“Please,” Viney begged. “Send her a message yourself, then. Tell her why I’m not there, tell her I’m being grounded, tell her _something!_ ” The anger from before was rapidly turning into panic as they grasped at straws, searching for a way to mend the situation before it got any worse. “It’ll break her heart, you can’t-“

“Viney. This isn’t up for debate.” Their father offered a sympathetic smile that didn’t fool them one bit. “You may go now if you’d like. You probably have homework you need to work on.”

They didn’t. But they shoved their chair away from the table and disappeared to their room anyway, frustrated tears pricking their eyes as they threw themself onto their bed. This was bad. This was really, really bad. Already, they could hear the buzz of magic outside their window as spells were cast, walling them in.

_I'm so sorry, Em. I don’t think I have a secret passageway to get out of this one._

_—————_

The sun had set over the Boiling Sea and the moon was starting to rise, but Viney could only watch glumly through the window as several of their classmates passed by. All of them were dressed up and on their way to Hexside for Grom, smiling and talking excitedly amongst themselves, ready to meet up with their dates. Just like Viney was supposed to be doing, they thought bitterly.

Emira was probably at the school already, waiting for Viney to show up. She had no idea she was going to be all alone, without even her brother to keep her company, since Jerbo was going with Edric. She was going to have her third terrible Grom in a row, they realized, and the memory of Emira’s vulnerable face at their clearing the night before came to their mind unbidden. 

_It’s your fault she’s going to be alone. You should’ve been more careful. You should’ve-_

No. They shut down that line of thought. Whether it was their fault or not didn’t really matter, not to Viney, at least. They had let their girlfriend down, and probably broken her heart. That was what mattered. Not whose fault the whole situation was.

They watched as the moon slowly inched its way upward, sky darkening to black as it went. Sleep wasn’t going to be coming easy tonight; they knew that for sure.

——-

_Emira <3 _

_(17 new messages, 17 unread)_

_6:25 Can’t wait to hit the dance floor tonight ;)_

_6:37 Decorations are pretty nice, you’ll love this for sure_

_6:50 Sooo ready for you and Jerbo to get here so I’m not stuck with Ed_

_7:04 Hey, are you almost here? The fight’s starting in like ten minutes_

_7:09 Jerbo’s not here either, Ed’s getting worried_

_7:13 Is something wrong? Where are you?_

_7:16 They’re opening the pit now, gotta watch Mitten’s crush fight the thing_

_7:59 Viney, where are you? You won’t believe what just happened with Grom!_

_8:01 Are you there? This is the most interesting thing that’s happened at Grom since that time we pranked it_

_8:10 Are you okay?_

_8:16 People are starting to notice, Viney. Please say something._

_8:25 The real dance part’s starting…_

_8:30 Where are you?_

_8:35 Please don’t do this to me._

_8:57 Hello?_

_9:07 Viney?_

_9:35 ...I’m going home._

———

The next morning, Viney practically sprinted to Hexside, heading straight for Emira’s locker. When they arrived, she was already there, face blank as she pulled out one of her books. 

“Em, I’m here,” Viney said, skidding to a stop and bracing one hand against the wall to keep from falling over. “I’m so, so sorry about last night.”

Emira turned to face them, fixing them with a cold glare. “Yeah, I’m sure you are.” She clenched her book in a white-knuckled grip.

“I am! Look, I can explain-“

“Save it.” Emira’s expression was angry, but her eyes were welling up with unshed tears. “I was messaging you for hours. Hours! Waiting and hoping for you to show up, or at least _answer_ , and you never did. Not once. Do you know how humiliating that was? Standing alone with my brother the entire night, watching on the sidelines while everyone else got to have a fun, romantic Grom? Even my own little sister?” Her voice broke. “Everyone saw us by ourselves. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before, but I thought it would be different with you, Viney.”

Viney’s heart shattered.

“I never meant to hurt you,” they said softly, tentatively taking Emira’s hand. She snatched it away, recoiling as if the touch had burned her. 

“Well, you did.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and Viney had to rein in the reflex to reach up and wipe it away with their thumb. “So just… stay away from me for a while.” Another tear joined the first, and then another. “Apparently that’s what you do best now.”

Turning on her heel, Emira strode briskly away, the flow of surprised students parting to let her through. As Viney watched, heart twisting painfully into knots, she grabbed Edric by the arm before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Viney could only stand there, staring helplessly after their girlfriend, the words ‘stay away from me’ repeating over and over in their head. They had no scroll to send her an explanation, and if she was going to be avoiding them, then what else could they do? There had to be _something_! They couldn’t let it end like this!

But by the time the lunch bell screamed, they hadn’t been able to come up with any ideas. Worse, they had passed Em in the halls three times already, and each time she had refused to even make eye contact. Dejected, they started to make their way toward the cafeteria, only to realize that there was no way Emira would want to sit with them now, and trying to act like everything was fine would only make things worse. They’d have to find another table to eat at, one that wasn't full of familiar faces and easy chatter. One that was far away from the most important person in their life, because she maybe-hated them right now. The thought turned their stomach, and before they could think about it too much, they were quickly grabbing a tray and walking outside instead. 

To their surprise, Jerbo was already sitting on the front steps, back hunched over and his own tray forgotten next to him. Viney joined him, setting their tray across their lap.

“Hey, Jerbo,” they said, not moving to start eating. “How was Grom?”

“Hey, Viney.” Jerbo’s voice was quieter than normal, and when they peered at his face, he looked just as gloomy as Viney felt. 

“Woah, what’s wrong?” They asked, concerned. “I thought you’d be in the cafeteria with Edric. Are you two… okay? Did something happen last night?” It was definitely possible: couples broke up following Grom all the time. Viney was proof of that.

“It’s more a problem of what _didn’t_ happen,” Jerbo said, picking at a loose thread on his leggings. “I had a ton of Abominations homework, right, and I wanted to get as much of it done before Grom as I could. So I started working on it, got really focused. The next thing I knew, I was waking up, it was the middle of the night, and I had completely missed the whole thing.” 

Viney drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, no, you too?”

Jerbo nodded miserably. He drew a small spell circle, conjuring up a flower that he started plucking the petals off of. “I think I might’ve broken his heart, V. This is exactly the sort of thing he’s scared of.” He was silent for a moment, contemplating, then seemed to register what they had actually said. “Wait, were you not there, either? I thought you and Emira-“

“Yeah, that plan didn’t go as intended. We were supposed to, but I messed up big-time.” They bit their lip, remembering the tears in their girlfriend’s eyes. “I got grounded, for real, and my parents took my scroll. So now Emira thinks I stood her up for no reason, and she doesn’t even want to see me.”

Jerbo let out a low whistle. “That’s not good.”

“You can say that again,” Viney said with a sigh. “I really hurt her, Jerb.”

“And it feels terrible, doesn’t it?” He said, the saddest of sympathetic smiles crossing his face. Viney poked his knee.

“Duh. Of course it does, but what am I supposed to do now?”

Jerbo hummed thoughtfully. “Well, Ed and I are meeting up after school to talk about it more, once he’s had some time to work through his feelings a little. Maybe you could catch Emira before she leaves and try to explain?”

Viney shook their head. “She told me to stay away from her. Point-blank.” They gave their friend a rueful smile. “At least your partner still wants to talk to you. Mine won’t give me a chance to make it up to her.”

Jerbo nudged them lightly with his elbow. “Hey, at least what you did was out of your control! I have to explain how I got so caught up in work that I literally fell asleep, but you didn’t even have your scroll to explain you got grounded.”

“I’d still trade places with you if I could.” Viney picked up their apple blood carton, but couldn’t bring themselves to actually take a drink. “The way she looked at me… I don’t know if she’s ever going to let me tell her what happened. And I totally get why she’s mad! I’m not saying she shouldn’t be, and I’m not going to force her to talk to me or anything like that, but it does mean I’m kinda screwed. Heck, I’m not even sure if we’re dating anymore.” A dark spot appeared on their leggings, and it didn’t register in their mind that it was a tear until another joined it. 

They were crying. 

“What if this was her breaking up with me?” They whispered, horrified at the idea. “What if I just lost her? I can’t, I don’t know what I’ll do, Jerbo!”

“Don’t talk like that,” Jerbo said firmly. He put a hand on Viney’s knee, and the contact did help steady them somewhat. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. The whole school’s seen that, in case you’ve forgotten. That girl loves you more than I think either of you know. The two of you have been through a lot together, and I don’t believe that this is going to be the end. We’ll figure something out.”

“I- wait, we?” Viney ran their sleeve over their eyes, feeling the barest smidge of hope through the mounting panic. “What do you mean, we?”

“I mean I’m going to help you out, obviously. What are friends for, if not to lend a hand when your girlfriend won’t talk to you? She knows me through Ed; I’ll let her know why you couldn’t make it to Grom.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “You’ll get through this.”

It was a good thing they were already crying, because otherwise they would’ve burst into tears. “You’d do that?” They asked, voice cracking terribly. 

Jerbo nodded. “It’s the least I can do.”

Viney didn’t hesitate, throwing themself at their friend and hugging him tight. Their tray went flying off their lap, but they couldn’t bring themself to care. 

“Thank you,” they whispered, sniffling. “Thank you.”

Jerbo returned the hug, patting their back and letting them cry on his shoulder. “Don’t mention it,” he said fondly. “You’d do the same for me.”

Viney laughed, the sound partly hysterical through their tears. “I would, wouldn’t I?” They pulled away after a long moment, taking a deep breath. It would all be fine. They’d be fine.

“So, I’ll try and catch Emira after school, send her over to your place. That sound good?” Jerbo said.

Viney nodded, letting out a big huff of air to try and calm themself and adjusting their earring. “My parents will probably let me talk to her if she takes the time to show up at our door, so yes.”

“It’s a plan, then.” He turned away, then turned back with his lunch tray in hand. “So, in the meantime, do you want half my sandwich? Yours is kinda on the ground now.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re the best.”

“I know.”

————

That afternoon, Viney started home, heart pounding nervously in their chest. They hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of either Emira or Jerbo in the crush of students leaving Hexside, and possible outcomes of that impending conversation wouldn’t get out of their head. It could go well, or it could go terribly. Viney had no control over it. And that scared them.

The path they took to walk home every day was wide and smooth, which was probably the only reason they didn’t trip. The details of exactly where they were stepping didn’t register, not when Emira was probably making up her mind about Viney right that very second. The sheer uncertainty of it all made them want to turn around and run back the way they came, just in case there was a chance of running into Emira along the way. But they held back. No, they were in enough trouble already. Jerbo had promised to try and explain, so they would trust him. 

Trust didn’t mean they weren’t nervous, though, and by the time they arrived home, their hands were trembling uncontrollably. The doorknob audibly rattled as they turned it, and it took three tries to lock it behind them. Going up the stairs, a badly judged step nearly sent them tumbling to the bottom, and they only just managed to catch themselves.

“Titan help me,” they muttered under their breath.

Who knew that waiting to find out whether or not you still had a girlfriend would be so stressful?

Half an hour passed, each minute longer than the last, and there was no sign of Emira. Viney ended up sitting at their window the whole time, tapping their fingers rapidly against their knees, anxiously watching for a telltale hint of green hair to appear along the path. Despite the mountain of work they had to do, studying was the farthest thing from their mind.

A blur of movement registered in the corner of their vision, and their head whipped toward it, eyes frantically searching. But there was nothing to be found except a fluttering leaf, taunting them. Sighing, they lowered their head to the windowsill, closing their eyes and taking a slow breath. They were fine. This was fine.

That was the moment something grabbed them by the shoulders and spun them around, yanking them up from their chair with enough force to draw a gasp. Instinctively, they started to draw a spell circle, ready to summon whatever magic they needed to defend themself-

“Viney, wait, it’s me!”

It was like time itself froze in place. There was no wind, no sound, no nothing.

There was only Emira, letting go of their shoulders to hold up her hands defensively, eyes wide. Her hair was coming loose from its braid, and the edges of her form were blurry, the last remains of an illusion fading away.

“Em?” Despite the events of the day, despite everything, Viney’s brain was struggling first to comprehend how this was possible, even with an invisibility spell, instead of the fact that _Emira was here_. “You- how did you get in here?”

“Magic,” she replied, waving a hand dismissively. “Illusion trick I picked up. Super useful for not getting caught places. But that’s not important right now. We have to talk about last night.”

Viney’s heart panged. “Did Jerbo tell you what happened?” They asked nervously.

Emira nodded, serious. “He did. He did, and I’m the worst girlfriend ever.” 

“No, you’re not,” Viney said, even as they silently praised the Titan for Jerbo. “I get why you were mad. Grom was a big deal for you, and I wasn’t there. I’m so sorry, Em.”

“But I wasn’t fair to you!” Emira grasped Viney’s hand in both of hers, and their pulse immediately ratcheted up. “I should’ve let you explain yourself instead of acting like a spoiled brat. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself, I forgot that I’m dating the best partner and witch anyone could ever ask for. You would never stand me up, Viney, not a chance. That’s the whole reason I agreed to go to Grom with you! Because you're not like the people who made the other two years miserable! I know better than that.” She smiled at them, so incredibly soft that it took Viney’s breath away. “I know _you_ better than that.” 

“Emira…” More emotions than they could name were swirling through Viney’s chest, filling them up until they thought they might burst. Emira was looking at them as if they had invented magic, earnest and caring and so full of love it made their knees weak. A sob tore itself from their throat, and before they could react, there were arms around them, familiar and safe.

“Viney, I’m the one who should be apologizing.” There was a level of sincerity in Emira’s words that Viney had only heard a scarce few times before, low and quiet. “None of what happened last night was your fault, and I know that now. I care about you way more than I care about some stupid dance party, so believe me when I say: I’m not going anywhere.”

Slowly, Viney allowed themselves to return the embrace, before abandoning any kind of self-control. They buried their face in Emira’s shoulder, breathing in her scent, shaking with relief and joy and half a dozen other things. 

“I love you,” they whispered, voice thick with tears. 

They felt Emira press a kiss to the top of their head. “I love you, too.”

It was then that Viney knew for sure. 

The two of them would be okay.


End file.
